After 60 hours of break in, I moved the CKC into my Listening Room Reference System. I put my favorite tube compliment in; which consists of Svetlana SV83's, NOS Sovtek 6922 and 5U4GC. My reference rig drives the Super Zen Direct with remote control preamp out of the DAC.

With my reference Kimber Select 1030 and 3033 this Amp is truly an upgrade from my SE84CS which I have listened to for 11 years. The difference is a little more than subtle and Steve's claim that the CKC with Jupiter Caps is more Organic is spot on. I could not be more pleased.

Thank you to all at Decware. You have created an even more involving musical experience for me. Stone of Tone

Thanks for the info. I've had my select for almost 9 years and a few years back upgraded the coupling caps to vcaps. So when Steve announced CKC with these beeswax jupiter caps I started looking into them. I like the solid silver leads and cryo treatment.

Parts connexion has flat stack jupiter caps at $65.00 for 1uf cap. A 1uf value will work as a coupling cap for just about anything.

.1uf vcap is about $62.00 each, but if you need a .47uf like I do in my dac, a vcap will then cost $158 each. So I am rooting for this jupiter cap. If it really bests a v-cap, then there could be a considerable savings for projects where larger values are needed.

Hi Lon, I am really enjoying my new Pro-Ject Carbon too, on my other rig with my Polk SDA SRS 1.2's. I know you are really enjoying your vinyl too as you have mentioned. My girlfriend and my kids when they visit love my he-man rig with the vinyl spinning and CD, DVD and Sat. Radio. However, I do want to put a Turntable in my Listening Room. Solid State is not the Select (CS) or my new CKC!Yes, the new SuperZen is just plain more relaxed; is the way I would describe it. So, all the tone & timbre is even more there with an even bigger soundstage.

Brett, do let us know back here with your DAC and/or Select if the Jupiter's beat the Vcaps?!

Cheers, Stone of Tone

PS-Steve just put a funny pic and caption of their Cat on the Home Amp Page....cute.

Stone, if you do add a turntable to the system, I know you'll consider a ZP3, it's such an amazing component. There are lots of choices for a phono preamp, but I think this one is a real bang for buck performer.

The SUPERZEN CKC continues to blow my mind! I am listening to Praful One Day Deep in its entirety and it is giving up a whole other layer of the music over the SE84CS (and that is saying something). You could not wipe the smile off my face...... .

Yes I am. Or I did, I should say for many years. Just last September 2011, I started using a pair of Vintage Polk SDA 1 from the mid/late 1980's. I use these without the Stereo Dimensional Array function hooked up. So I use them in Stereo of course.

The LS90's and the SDA 1's have a simple enough crossover and sensitivity that the 4 to 8 ohm Zen Select (CS & CKC) can drive them at 76 to 84db SPL with great success! I own 9 pair of Speakers and have owned others now sold that do not play well with the CS or CKC.... . However, these two pair are magic.

Full range Drivers are wonderful and I have been to Decfest in 2005 and 2008 and much enjoyed them. However, I like to exploit Steve's Zens with the Original SV83 Svetlana Tube compliment and my reference cable....Kimber Select 1030 & 3033 run directly out of my Audio Alchemy Pro 32 with AA 3.0 DAC.

The tonal balance, clean extended treble and accurate bass is to die for. Not to mention, but I will-soundstage and imaging destroys Solid State. Lit from within with tone & timbre is an understatement. I chose the moniker Stone of Tone because of this/these great Amps!

Cheers, Stone of TonePS-Stone of Tone comes from the late great Harvey "Gizmo" Rosenberg whom I miss his prose dearly.

Harvey said: "Musical consciousness, less than one hundred years ago, decided to use male DNA, to get higher, and wider. So this force hooked up with electricity, and created the vacuum tube, and the rest is history. Every audio artisan can trace his roots back to the Triode Big Bang in 1907.

This is how musical consciousness evolves its intention through human DNA: it chooses a very small group to do its relentless escalation work…by endowing this chosen group with nano-harmonic musical consciousness…while billions of others, and, most in the audio industry, are completely clueless about this genetic impulse to ponder the nano-level of existence. How can I be so certain that this is how the process works: if you feel it, you express it. If you don't feel it, you are passive. That is the bottom line".

Aside from being too Hot as you describe, Did the Union provide plenty of Volume with the CKC (2 watts) ??

How was the bass quality versus bass output level with this combo? I ask because my Klipsch RF-7's (similar speaker efficiency) have quality bass output with the CKC but not enough bass volume on their own to be engaging on all music.

DBC-Yes, @ 99db SPL at 1 watt/1 meter it gets plenty loud. As you know you have the 101db Klipsch.

However, louder does not mean more musical. As you can read below I have a Reference Rig in my Great Room. It does very well; and lets just say it can play at concert levels is an understatement. I assure you this System with the Polk SDA SRS 1.2's is not set up to fail against the Listening Room System....but it does when it comes to 2 channel utter musicality with the Super Zen CKC and my associated equipment/Cables.

My Listening Room System at 74db to 82db SPL has shear Gestalt. You don't need High Efficiency to get Gestalt. I just finally proved that to myself by bringing in the Unions....with every intention of keeping them-but they need not apply for the job anymore.-Stone

http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=KKPK10PAL....bought this Power Cord from David Weinhart of Weinhart Design (for $640.00 delivered)...super cool guy and he sells some great used stuff he takes in on trade and will ship it anywhere....this PCord transforms the Emotiva XPA-2 into something very special.....without? - it is just another Solid State behemoth Amp...

Thanks for the input. Sounds like Zu does an honest job of rating their speaker sensitivity which is what I was wanting to know.

Before I ordered my CKC I was considering a pair of Zu's instead. The CKC brought my Klipsch RF-7's up to a level that I really did not think they were capable of. So I think I will stay with what I have for now.

They are true to their rating of 99 for sure. Very good Speakers, even though not to my liking in the crucial presence region. I had them out in the other room with my Vinyl and it was pretty damn good. You are in very good shape indeed with your Reference Klipsch IMHO.

Cheers and have a great Music weekend! -Stone

PS-I'm not Lasareath. He is a cool dude out East that loves is 1.2's he refurbed and upgraded/TL'd.